Parenting skills to help young children take their medicines

Behavioral Parenting Skills as a Novel Target for Improving Pediatric Medication Adherence

['FUNDING_R01'] · ROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE CORP · NIH-11251601

A parent-focused program designed to help families of children ages 3–9, including those with leukemia, improve how reliably kids take their medicines.

Quick facts

Phase['FUNDING_R01']
Study typeNih_funding
SexAll
SponsorROSWELL PARK CANCER INSTITUTE CORP (nih funded)
Locations1 site (BUFFALO, UNITED STATES)
Trial IDNIH-11251601 on ClinicalTrials.gov

What this research studies

If you join, you'll learn practical parenting strategies (CareMeds) meant to make it easier for young children to take daily medicines at home. The team is refining the program and testing whether families can use the skills in real life, focusing on children ages 3–9 and including those with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The work uses early-stage development steps (NIH Stage 0 and 1) with feedback from families and measures of medication-taking to shape the program. The project will look at feasibility, acceptability, and early signs that the approach helps families follow prescribed treatment plans.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Ideal participants are caregivers and their children ages 3–9 who are prescribed regular, at-home medications (including outpatient chemotherapy for pediatric ALL) and are willing to try a parenting-skills program.

Not a fit: Children older than the target age range, those not taking routine at-home medicines, or cases where adherence problems stem from medical or cognitive issues beyond parenting support may not benefit from this program.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this could help families increase children's medication adherence and reduce preventable relapses, hospital stays, and treatment complications.

How similar studies have performed: Prior research links family functioning and parenting to medication adherence and some early interventions show promise, but effective, widely adopted parenting-skills programs to boost pediatric adherence remain limited, making this a relatively novel practical approach.

Where this research is happening

BUFFALO, UNITED STATES

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.

View on NIH RePORTER →

Conditions: Cancer Relapse, Cancers

Last reviewed 2026-05-15 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.